Carry_on luggage to count on

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Published: September 8, 2008

Many of the major airlines are charging major fees—$15 to $25 a bag—to check your luggage. If you’re looking to circumvent those fees by stuffing everything into one carry-on, Consumer Reports’ latest tests can help you save money all the way around.

Consumer Reports tested 12 carry-on suitcases to determine which is the best to bring onboard. First word of caution: Size up a suitcase carefully. Four of the tested bags were over the size limit for carry-on luggage for many of the airlines. And with a lot of bags, if you stuff the outside pockets, they’ll be too big to carry on and you’ll have to check them and pay the fees anyway.

To test the bags’ durability, Consumer Reports loaded each carry-on in its “tumbler machine.“ About a thousand rotations later, some were damaged. The first Kenneth Cole bag ripped in two places. The second one had a broken zipper. Only a third Kenneth Cole came out undamaged.

To see how easily each suitcase rolls, staffers pulled them over tiled floors, and carpeted ones, too, plus up stairs and down stairs and through a zigzag course that’s not unlike weaving through a crowded airport.

In the end, Consumer Reports says the Delsey Helium Fusion is a good value. It costs around $77 and was better than several bags that cost far more. Another plus: Unlike other suitcases, the Delsey also has inline skate wheels that go in one direction. Staffers preferred that.

Consumer Reports says beyond making sure you get a carry-on that meets size requirements, it’s worth taking a bag for a test run—literally. Put something in the luggage—you want the feel of a packed bag—and walk around to see how it handles. That way you can be sure you want to travel together.

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